Drew Pavlou (born 4 June 1999) is an Australian
political activist
A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...
best known for his criticism of the
Chinese government
The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...
and
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
.
Pavlou is also known for organising protests on-campus in support of the
2019–20 Hong Kong protests.
In May 2020, he was suspended for two years from the University of Queensland (UQ), which alleged 11 instances of misconduct.
The action drew national attention in Australia, including from former Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...
.
An appeal of his case by the UQ Senate Disciplinary Appeals Committee upheld two of the initial charges and reduced his suspension to one semester.
Pavlou returned to UQ in early 2021.
In December 2021, Pavlou launched the
Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance federal political party. He ran for the
Australian Senate in the
2022 Australian federal election
The 2022 Australian federal election was held on Saturday 21 May 2022 to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Liberal/National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, sought to win a fourth cons ...
, alongside five other candidates, but was unsuccessful.
In July 2022, Pavlou was arrested in London for an alleged bomb threat against the
Chinese Embassy
This is a list of diplomatic missions of the People's Republic of China. The People's Republic of China has the largest diplomatic network in the world, representing the country's significant economic, commercial, political, cultural, and milit ...
; an allegation he denied. Pavlou has alleged that the bomb threat was part of a campaign to have him falsely charged and arrested. No charges were issued; Pavlou alleged the
Metropolitan Police denied him consular services.
Early life and education
Pavlou's family, who are
Greek Cypriots
Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνοκύπριοι, Ellinokýprioi, tr, Kıbrıs Rumları) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2011 census, 659,115 ...
from the
Larnaca District of Cyprus, migrated to Australia in the 1960s to open a number of hospitality and retail shops on the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
.
He was born on 4 June 1999. At two years old, Pavlou's family moved to
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
, where he would then go on to complete high school at
Villanova College.
He was then admitted to the University of Queensland where he was studying for a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
majoring in Philosophy before his suspension. His grandmother's brother was a fighter with Greek nationalist guerrilla organisation
EOKA, and was killed during the
Cyprus Emergency
The Cyprus Emergency ( gr, Απελευθερωτικός Αγώνας της Κύπρου 1955–59), also known as the Greek Cypriot War of Independence or Cypriot War of Independence, was a conflict fought in British Cyprus between November 1 ...
.
Activism and controversies
2019 Hong Kong protests in UQ
In July 2019, during the
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
The Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, also known as the 2019 Hong Kong protests, or the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, were a series of demonstrations from 15 March 2019 in response to the introduction by the Hong Kong government ...
, Pavlou organised a protest at the University of Queensland in support of the Hong Kong democracy movement. He has alleged that he was assaulted twice during clashes with counter-protestors who were supporting the Chinese Government.
The counter-protesters were in the hundreds and had shouted pro-Beijing slogans and played China's national anthem over loudspeakers. Covering the incident, the LA Times wrote: "Things quickly turned violent. A man in the crowd rushed at Pavlou, snatching his megaphone. A second man shoved him. In the ensuing scuffles, one student from Hong Kong was tackled and grabbed by the throat; another had her shirt ripped open."
Brisbane-based Chinese Consular-General and adjunct professor at UQ, Xu Jie, responded to the protests by condoning counter-protestors for "self-motivated patriotic behaviour" and condemning the protest as "anti-China separatist activities". Pavlou responded by alleging Xu Jie was inciting violence and issuing a death threat, a claim which was rejected by the
Chinese embassy in Canberra. The
Magistrates Court
A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings.
Courts
* Magistrates' court (England and Wales)
* Magistrate's Cou ...
rejected the application for a case before it was heard at trial, citing international
diplomatic immunity
Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law by which certain foreign government officials are recognized as having legal immunity from the jurisdiction of another country. laws.
Suspension from the University of Queensland
Throughout April and May 2020, Pavlou was summoned to the University of Queensland disciplinary board after a 186-page report suggested he violated university student discipline policies 11 times, and was suspended for 2 years. Former Australian Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...
criticised Chancellor
Peter Varghese
Peter Joseph Noozhumurry Varghese, (born 19 March 1956) is an Australian retired diplomat and public servant. He was the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 3 December 2012 to 22 July 2016. He announced in November ...
's handling of the suspension, claiming the university was overly conciliatory to Beijing''.''
Allegations by the university included bullying, discrimination, and harassment of students and staff, both online and on-campus. ''
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
'' has reported that complaints raised to the board include Pavlou improperly claiming to make statements on behalf of the university and a Facebook post of Pavlou posing in front of the UQ
Confucius Institute
Confucius Institutes (CI; ) are public educational and cultural promotion programs funded and arranged currently by the , a government-organized non-governmental organization (GONGO) under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic o ...
in a biohazard suit during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
Pavlou admitted to directing profanity at students on Facebook and another university forum after UQ claimed complaints were raised by a number of students.
On 5 May, Pavlou walked out of a disciplinary board hearing, labelling the hearing as a "Stalinist show trial". Pavlou's legal team claimed that they were denied access to confidential university documents that may demonstrate UQ collusion with the Chinese government. A spokesperson for the university stated that the matter did not concern political freedom of speech but misbehaviour, that university policy is developed independently of politics, and that the university was unable to comment directly on the matters of the hearing.
On 29 May, the board handed down its decision to suspend Pavlou for two years, the remainder of Pavlou's tenure as UQ senator. UQ Chancellor
Peter Varghese
Peter Joseph Noozhumurry Varghese, (born 19 March 1956) is an Australian retired diplomat and public servant. He was the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 3 December 2012 to 22 July 2016. He announced in November ...
expressed concern on the UQ News website about "the findings and the severity of the penalty", convening an out-of-session meeting of the UQ Senate to discuss the matter.
On 2 June, Pavlou sought a review from the UQ Senate Disciplinary Appeals Committee (SDAC), the appellate body for disciplinary matters formed from the UQ Senate, and student and staff representatives.
On 13 July, SDAC issued its findings, concluding that two counts of serious misconduct were justified, however dismissing other charges. As a result, SDAC reduced the suspension from two years to one semester (roughly six months).
In a statement released by the Committee and Chancellor Varghese, they explained that "neither of the findings of serious misconduct concerned Mr Pavlou's personal or political views about China or Hong Kong", and that Pavlou is now ineligible to return as a UQ senator, under the ''University of Queensland Act''.
In September 2020, the
Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission declined a request by Pavlou to investigate Chancellor
Peter Varghese
Peter Joseph Noozhumurry Varghese, (born 19 March 1956) is an Australian retired diplomat and public servant. He was the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 3 December 2012 to 22 July 2016. He announced in November ...
and former Vice-Chancellor
Peter Høj
Peter Bordier Høj (born 29 April 1957) is a Danish-Australian academic and Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Adelaide. He has previously served as Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Queensland and the Universit ...
, citing "insufficient evidence to suggest anyone who was subject of the complaint had engaged in corrupt conduct". The university responded in a press statement that it was pleased by the findings, and that it had been advised by the commission that no action will be taken.
Pavlou returned to university in early 2021.
Court case against the University of Queensland
On 11 June 2020, Pavlou launched a case against the University of Queensland, Chancellor Varghese, and former Vice-Chancellor Høj, seeking damages of 3.5 million for an alleged breach of contract and defamation. The case was lodged with the Supreme Court of Queensland. In a response to an ''ABC News'' inquiry, a UQ spokesperson said, "when we receive a formal notice of claim we will consider it and respond through the appropriate channels."
Pavlou announced the case on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, saying he was "seeking damages for breach of contract, negligence, defamation, deceit and conspiracy" and that the case was "not about money".
Expulsion from 2022 Wimbledon men's singles final
On 10 July 2022, Pavlou was thrown out of the
2022 Wimbledon men's singles final for interrupting the match to shout "where is
Peng Shuai
Peng Shuai (; born 8 January 1986) is a Chinese retired professional tennis player. In February 2014, she was ranked world No. 1 doubles player by the WTA, becoming the first Chinese tennis player to achieve that ranking (in either single ...
" in reference to the Chinese tennis player who
disappeared
An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organi ...
after accusing retired Vice Premier of China
Zhang Gaoli
Zhang Gaoli or Chang Kao-li ( zh, 张高丽; ; born 1 November 1946) is a retired Chinese politician. He served as the senior Vice Premier of the State Council between 2013 and 2018 and as a member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo ...
of sexual assault.
Pavlou claimed that security staff pushed him over a row of seats and down a flight of stairs where he hit his head on a wall while twisting his arms behind his back. Wimbledon officials denied Pavlou's claims that excessive force had been used against him. An
All England Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam ...
spokesman stated, "a spectator was removed from Centre Court after disrupting play by shouting, running down the stairs and causing a nuisance to their fellow spectators. The individual was removed by security colleagues and escorted off the grounds"; while Pavlou stated, "I'm sorry that I disrupted the match for 30 seconds, I tried to pick a break in between games to silently hold up my #WhereIsPengShuai sign but security immediately crash tackled me which is why I shouted out so people would hear Peng Shuai's name on the broadcast."
Arrest in London
On 22 July, Pavlou was arrested by the
Metropolitan Police outside the
Chinese Embassy in London, while protesting alleged
human rights violations
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...
perpetrated by the Chinese state, by displaying the flags of
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, and
Uyghurs
The Uyghurs; ; ; ; zh, s=, t=, p=Wéiwú'ěr, IPA: ( ), alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The Uyghur ...
.
Pavlou said that he was detained for 23 hours in
incommunicado without access to lawyers, for an alleged bomb threat. He claimed that during his detainment, he had been treated poorly and had been handcuffed in a
stress position
A stress position, also known as a submission position, places the human body in such a way that a great amount of weight is placed on just one or two muscles. For example, a subject may be forced to stand on the balls of their feet, then squat ...
; he added that he was forced to sign a document, giving up his right to legal representation and that he was forced to do an interview at 4a.m.
The Australian
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that they "will raise Mr. Pavlou's claim that he was denied consular access before being released with UK authorities."
Alan Crockford, spokesman for the Metropolitan Police denied allegations of poor treatment during Pavlou's detainment, and asserted that the department abides to "strict codes of practice under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act" for detainees.
British journalist and
Liberal Democrat
Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology.
Active parties
Former parties
See also
*Liberal democracy
*Lib ...
candidate
Edward Lucas filed a corruption complaint with Metropolitan Police regarding Pavlou's alleged mistreatment and an investigation is underway.
Some human rights activists and politicians, also claimed of receiving emails from accounts that were pretending to be Pavlou. Pavlou claimed he was subjected to an "orchestrated campaign".
Political career
In December 2021, Pavlou launched the
Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance federal political party. He announced his intention to run for the
Senate in Queensland, alongside five other candidates in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
and Queensland. The party's policies include fighting corruption, protecting human rights (with an eye specifically on alleged issues related to the
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
), tackling poverty and homelessness, and building a
green economy.
The party contested the
2022 Australian federal election
The 2022 Australian federal election was held on Saturday 21 May 2022 to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Liberal/National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, sought to win a fourth cons ...
, with Pavlou running for the Australian Senate in his home state of Queensland. Pavlou campaigned against
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
MP
Gladys Liu
Gladys Liu ( yue, 廖嬋娥, ; born 6 April 1964) is a British Hong Kong, Hong Kong-born Australian former politician, who represented the Division of Chisholm in Victoria for the Liberal Party from her election in May 2019 to her defeat at the ...
. Ultimately, the Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance would fail to win any seats, gathering 0.02% of the vote nationwide.
Brisbane billboard advertising controversy
On 14 December 2021, Pavlou released a recording of a telephone call between him and a representative of Bishopp Outdoor Advertising, which owns more than 700
billboards across Queensland. Pavlou states that billboard companies are unwilling to run ads in Australia critical of China.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pavlou, Drew
1999 births
People from Brisbane
Australian human rights activists
Australian people of Greek Cypriot descent
Living people